Kobe Bryant’s brand is all about determination. He created what he calls the Mamba Mentality, described as an ability “to constantly try to be the best version of yourself … It’s a constant quest to try to better today than you were yesterday.” So it’s not surprising that after watching “The Dark Knight” in 2008, Bryant was inspired by Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. But it is surprising to see Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka claim that Bryant had dinner with Ledger after watching the movie. Because Ledger died six months before the film premiered. Via ESPN’s Baxter Holmes: MORE: 2019 NBA Finals picks and predictions Click Here: Holmes…

Can the Raptors prevent the Warriors from three-peating? That’s the big question heading into the 2019 NBA Finals. After sweeping the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals, Golden State will play in its fifth straight NBA Finals series, a stretch only equaled by Bill Russell’s Celtics from 1957-66. But the Warriors will likely be without Kevin Durant (calf) and DeMarcus Cousins (quad) for the start of the series, so expect the bulk of the offense to come from Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. MORE: Don’t underrate Warriors’ NBA Finals streak, Steve Kerr says Over on the East side of the playoff bracket, the Raptors rattled off four…

Tottenham Hotspur have submitted a club record £53m bid for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso. Lo Celso has been on superb form this season, registering nine goals and four assists in 32 LaLiga matches. The Argentine currently has a €100m (£88m) release clause and it is understood Betis want to sell him for a fee closer to that amount. Click Here: Celtic Football Shirts North London deal-makers will also have to fend off interest to land the playmaker, who is also attracting interest from other Premier League clubs. Spurs have not signed a player since Lucas Moura was signed for £23m from Paris-Saint Germain in January 2018. Their previous…

Ashley Cole will grace the Wembley turf once again after he was named in Derby’s starting XI to face Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final, live on talkSPORT. Few people know the home of football better than Cole, who has played there 34 times previously. He becomes the oldest player to start the Championship play-off final since Kevin Phillips in 2012. The veteran left-back has won 25 times and suffered just three defeats at Wembley, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield during an illustrious career. “As soon as you go on the coach underground, you start to get the feeling: ‘This is the English home, the…

Gary Neville has hailed Crystal Palace youngster Aaron Wan-Bissaka as a ‘massive talent’ and believes Manchester United should pursue him. Wan-Bissaka is one of the most highly-rated young players in European football and had an excellent first full season at Selhurst Park. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate to overhaul his squad after a disastrous end to their season, winning just two of their last 12 matches in all competitions and has identified the right-back as one of his top priorities. United legend Neville, who made 602 appearances for the club over 19 years, has backed his former side in their quest for Wan-Bissaka despite the £40million price tag. “He’s a…

Footage has emerged showing Azerbaijani police apparently stopping two Arsenal fans on the streets of Baku for wearing Henrikh Mkhitaryan shirts. Gunners fans are in the city ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League final clash against Chelsea on Wednesday evening – a match you can follow LIVE on talkSPORT. Arsenal have confirmed they will be without Mkhitaryan for the all-English European final, with the 30-year-old refusing to travel to Baku over the conflict between his country and host nation Azerbaijan. The same political tensions saw him skip the Gunners’ clash against Qarabag in Baku earlier this season, while they also prevented him from playing for Borussia Dortmund in a Europa League game against…

Aston Villa’s former chairman Randy Lerner will receive £30million after the club won promotion to the Premier League following their win over Derby County at Wembley on Monday. The payment relates to Lerner’s sale of the club to Chinese billionaire Dr Tony Xia when Villa were relegated in 2016, which included a ‘three-year promotion bonus’. Xia paid an initial £76.2m for the club and a clause was included stating that Lerner, who took control of Villa in 2006, would be paid an extra £30m, if the club achieved promotion back to the top-flight in the desired time frame. Click Here: watford fc shirt Lerner will also be given a further…

Chelsea come up against Arsenal in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, a game you can listen to LIVE on talkSPORT. It’s a match that both sides will be desperate to win for different reasons as Arsenal must are playing to secure Champions League football for next season, while Chelsea are more playing to add to their trophy cabinet and deny their London rivals too. The final is being played in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, which has attracted some criticism because of the difficulty fans have travelling there. Meanwhile, Gunners midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has not gone with his team-mates due to fears over his safety as a…

Heung-min Son is set to draw huge TV figures in the Far East as Tottenham take on Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday. Son is regarded as the biggest sporting star in his homeland South Korea and the rest of the Far East. He will become the second Asian footballer to feature in a Champions League final after Park Ji-sung played for Manchester United in their 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2011. Click Here: watford fc shirt Son’s army of fans will have to wake up at 4am on Sunday to watch him in Madrid. He said: “Everyone is going to watch the game so I’m really, really…

Jack Grealish is showing no signs of slowing down Aston Villa’s promotion celebrations. Villa ended their three-year exile from the Premier League by beating Derby 2-1 in the Championship play-off final on Monday. Boyhood Villa fan Grealish, who almost joined Tottenham last summer, is set to captain his side in England’s top-flight next season. And after almost 24 hours of securing their place in the Premier League, the 23-year-old is still partying with his team-mates. On Tuesday afternoon, Grealish uploaded a video to his Instagram story of him and right-back Alan Hutton knocking back a shot. Speaking after their win over Derby, Grealish told talkSPORT: “I thought I was gone…